168 " MORGAN RATTLER, " 



making a cast forward, they would hit it off again. 

 If, on the contrary, the leading hounds Avere wildish 

 ones, and such as (when assisted by wild riders) 

 he could not quite trust, he would then have to 

 judge for himself, and then head comes in request. 

 Now I will venture to say, that, ask three fourths 

 of the Field as to Avhich or what hounds had brouglit 

 on the scent to a given spot, they had no more looked 

 at the hounds than they had at the Heavens. Hoav 

 should they ? They had been attending to their 

 horses, looking how Lord Such-a-one and the Messrs. 

 So-and-so went: this had given them plenty of work 

 for head^ hands, and heels — with some perhaps the 

 two latter having been most employed. As to the 

 hounds, whether they had been running riot, heel, or 

 hare, they kncAV not, and cared not so long as they 

 kept going. Are such fox-hunters ? No ; but I will 

 mention an anecdote of one Avho Avas. 



I Avas out Avith the Old Berkeley ; the hounds had 

 been going a killing pace, the Huntsman beat. Mr. 



]\I , as bold a rider as ever faced a fence, Avas as 



usual up Avith tliem. We came to a check: "For 



God's sake, hold hard!" cries M : "give them 



room." Several hounds spoke : not a Avord of en- 

 couragement from M . At last a couple on the 



other side of the hedge opened. " Yoicks, Rival and 



Rory!" cries M ; "that's it." Over he went Avith 



a screech that made the country ring again, capping 

 them on, and riding like mad. In a fcAV fields Ave 



ran in to our fox Who-whoop ! This Avas 



something like the thing, and no mistake ! 



And now as to pace, so far as it relates to horses. 

 " It is the pace that kills," said Meynell, and he was 

 righl^ I knoAV Avhat fast, very fast horses are, my 

 AA^eight enabling me to ride thoroughbred ones : but 



